Something Wicked This Way Comes
by Angelus1889
Summary: The secrets I hold... my birth...my very life is blasphemy. I must die or be consumed by it. Why was I born this way? Mother..." HieiXKuwabara eventually. Enjoy! :P
1. Chapter 1

Something Wicked This Way Comes

By: Angelus1889

Warning(s): OOC

Graphic violence

Lemon-Yaoi

Rating: Mature

####

Author's Note: Thanks to the freakishly frequent snowstorms DC has been having lately, I've got time to start on this story. I'm no longer in danger of failing my thesis class, and my computer is also working faster since I finally got that anti-virus software I've been needing… in short, life is good at the moment. . Anyhoo, you know the drill. Test chappie, I'll continue if I get a positive response.

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH, neither does my pet turtle Kenji, and I doubt you do either.

* * *

I

"_I am a monster. No longer fit to walk this earth and exist with pure beings that are allowed to bathe in glorious sunlight_."

A tightened noose.

"_To avoid this cursed fate of mine…my strongest desire. Yet I cannot escape the impure blood which flows in my veins_…"

Two slit wrists.

"_To purge the world of my disgusting life…to snuff out the last of my kind…it would be to the benefit of all_…"

A blood-red moon.

######

Yuusuke Urameshi, along with a curious fox and a begrudged fire demon, were on the way to their human counterpart's new home with presents to give for his twenty-first birthday.

"I wonder if the idiot's up…he better not have forgotten that we were supposed to party tonight!"

"He's become a responsible and intelligent adult, Yuusuke. I doubt that."

"Since when has the fool ever been intelligent?"

Kurama shook his head to hide his smile. "He's older now, Hiei. Much calmer and wiser than the child you remember him to be."

"It's only been three years."

"Humans mature rather quickly after their juvenile term. This process happens far faster that demon maturity due to humans'…rather short life span."

The three of them winced at nearly the same time. Kurama had brought up a sensitive topic for the demon trio: Kuwabara's mortality. It would be the hardest on Yuusuke; watching his best friend age and die while he remained a young sixteen…for as long as Father Time would allow him to rule.

Kurama had become closer to the Kuwabara during the time in which Yuusuke was discovering himself in the Makai. Even then, the fox had seen something off in the boy's generally exuberant personality. For example…

Kurama had congratulated Kuwabara a few days ago, telling him that he would reach the peak of his spiritual power and be dubbed the strongest human in all the Three Worlds; even surpassing Genkai.

The human had responded with a small smile and a nod, not meeting the redhead's eyes.

"_Yeah…that's great, man_."

This nearly phlegmatic response worried Kurama. Kazuma seemed to, as his birthday approached, adopt the demeanor of a world-weary demon. There had been something in the human's eyes…a resignation that replaced the innocence and ignorance that had been there before.

'_By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes_…' he thought, quoting one of his favorite Shakespearian plays.

He had not voiced these concerns to Yuusuke; his impulsive and rash way of dealing with his own feelings would not help in the least at dealing with a depressed teen. Even Hiei—thought reluctant to admit it—cared more than he let on for Kuwabara…

The youkai in question, quite perturbed at the though of the human he had come to respect returning to ash, snorted angrily. He tended to forget that the boy was so…pathetically mortal. He really seemed…durable. Hiei would not admit this to Kurama---hell, to anyone, but he knew that he liked this human boy much more than he should. The feeling would come every time their eyes met…a warm tingling down his spine and a dizzy, almost flirty feeling.

There was more than one reason why Hiei almost always started the small squabbles.

'_Why am I thinking of this now…?_'

As with Yukina, Hiei had no intention of letting the human know about his feelings. There were too many things that could go wrong…too many 'maybes' and 'what ifs'. Hiei would watch from afar…as he always did.

Hiei slowed his walking, coming to a complete standstill as a scent wafted on the air.

A scent that both he and Kurama recognized immediately.

Blood.

Kuwabara's blood.

There was little that Hiei could not remember clearly as the three raced to Kuwabara's house and Yuusuke broke down the door in a rage. There were bits of cloth and trash everywhere…the stench was horrifying. Even so, the smell of fresh blood dominated the air. Shaking with anger and fear, Yuusuke wrenched open the human's bedroom door.

Kuwabara was there hanging from the ceiling.

Kurama paled, and had to turn away to keep from vomiting, tears threatening to spill over. Yuusuke had curled into a nearby corner clutching his head, rocking slightly. He was mumbling something that sounded like "no…no….no….why..?" over and over again to himself.

Hiei found that he could not tear his eyes away.

He had wedged a small towel in his mouth to avoid screaming out. His stiff body was swaying slightly from the breeze floating through the curtains. There were two large, symmetrical pools of blood that flowed from his slit wrists. Hiei swallowed the bile attempting to free itself back down his throat. The cobalt blue eyes that Hiei had remembered were now a dull lapis, staring straight into his soul, yet taking in nothing. It had taken Hiei a moment to realize how close he was, screaming into the ash-grey face.

"Damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you!!!!"

A twitch of the eye.

Hiei paused.

A twitch of the wrist.

Kurama had composed himself and looked up from the spot where he was attempting to comfort Yuusuke. In a swift motion, Hiei cut the accursed rope and clutched Kuwabara's rapidly cooling body.

"He's alive."

The two were across the room in seconds, the fox trying to staunch the blood flow while the detective screamed at his best friend for being an "insensitive emo asshole."

They rushed to Genkai's temple with all the haste they could muster.

#####

"You arrived in the nick of time. Another minute or two and he would've been too far gone to stabilize."

Kuwabara now lay peacefully on a mat covered by a blanket, his writs now healed and bandaged to cover the scars.

"That bastard…how dare he…"

"That's enough, detective."

The three turned to look at Hiei, surprised that he would care enough to calm the Masoku whose nerves had been totally shot. "Apparently, he's been dealing with problems that he's repressed. It's not as easy to live with that as you may think."

Yuusuke clenched his jaw but did not reply.

"Hiei's right, you know. Kazuma's had a long, hard life. We both have." Shizuru had been previously smoking out in the garden and had heard the tail end of the conversation.

"Care to share, then?"

"No. There are some things best left unspoken to avoid reliving them."

"So you know why Kuwabara tried to off himself!?" Yuusuke has shot up then.

"Yes."

"Then why the hell won't you tell us so I can help him!?"

Shizuru looked down at her baby brother. She, the first born, should have had to bear the burden Kazuma was carrying. The guilt overwhelmed her. "Yuusuke…this is one case you won't be able to solve. Out past is far blacker that you could imagine, and it's beginning to catch up with us."

"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."

Yuusuke looked over to his best friend to find that he hadn't actually woken from his slumber. '_Creepy_…'

Hiei gazed at the human. He had not known that the boy held such secrets. There was something important that was being hidden from the group that may put him in danger…

Kurama felt a chill go through him. Kuwabara had quoted the line that the fox had earlier thought of in his sleep. There was an evil wind on the horizon…and he wasn't so sure that the gang was prepared for it.

#####

Author's Note: Meh. Totally average in my opinion. What do you guys think? I've got a good plot in mind this time too… finally. XD

Also considering that there's about three feet of snow outside and it's still going strong, I've got time to write, too. XP

C&C are always welcome!

Lovesallmyreaders,

Angelus1889


	2. Chapter 2

Something Wicked This Way Comes

By: Angelus1889

Warning(s): OOC

Graphic violence

Lemon-Yaoi

Rating: Mature

####

Author's Note: On top of the blizzard, I have a cold…meh. I'm squeezing out another chapter for my loyal fan and friend, Time on My Hands. You're awesome! If this chapter brings you deeper in…I did my job! :P

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH, neither does my pet turtle Kenji, and I doubt you do either.

* * *

II

It had been a week.

A whole week since his suicide attempt had failed.

A week since his friends had been watching him closely.

Kuwabara kept a façade of aloof calmness, but he was seething inside. Didn't they understand!? His life had to be forfeit, or it would cost the lives of all he cared about!

'_If I can't die…then I have to get away…they won't take my family again_.'

His thoughts then turned towards Shizuru. She had been tight-lipped about the ordeal since his failure, and she wasn't revealing his secret to anyone. '_Only because she feels guilty…she didn't have The Gift…so she was spared from the ritual_.' He could never forget. He still heard the shouts in his head clearly. The curses spat at him. The garbage thrown at him.

The irons that branded him.

The knives that cut him.

The mask that blinded him.

Kuwabara shuddered at the thought. He still remembered that awful instrument. It was a pure white, with two purely silver stakes jutting inwards from eyeholes. An '_Instrument of God_' they called it. Humph. They used it to "purify" creatures such as him…the family that held…_The Gift_. He clasped his head tightly, pulling at his hair as the memories assaulted him.

######

A five year old Kazuma Kuwabara was nearly dragged down a lonely dirt road, away from the Italian village—and cult—that despised him.

"Kill that child! And catch that whore too!"

"No! Run faster Kazuma!"

The road ended here, turning into thick foliage and gnarled tree roots. The woman pushed her child, encouraging him to flee into the wood.

"Mommy...mommy, don't leave me!"

"I said go! Take your sister and flee from this place!"

"But I don't wanna go! Why can't you come with us, why!?"

"Kazuma…"

"Mommy…I don't want anyone else to die!"

"Oh…my sweet son…" The woman knelt down to kiss the brow of her child, wiping away the tears that flooded from his blue eyes with the pads of her thumb. Alarmed by the sounds of the mob coming closer, she quickly pulled a chain of white gold with an onyx locket dangling from it from around her neck and placed it in his small palm, curling his fingers around it.

"I love you, Kazuma. And I will _always_ be with you. You just won't be able to see me. Do you remember how to get to the shipyard in the big city?"

Kazuma had stopped crying, wiping his nose with his free hand. "Mm-hm."

The woman breathed a sigh of relief and hugged her child once more…she would never see him again. "Now go, and be brave. Make mommy proud."

With not a moment to spare, the boy took off into the forest. He followed his mother's orders and didn't stop, even as he heard the sounds of a body being broken and smelled burning flesh. He kept running. He wouldn't stop until he found his sister at their home, and led them to a Japan-bound ship where they hid amongst the cows and horses for weeks as the ship made its voyage.

He would make his mommy proud.

######

"…wabara. KUWABARA!"

Kuwabara jumped, his mind snapping back to reality. He was huddled in a corner of his room, his right hand bloody and embedded with glass shards. Yuusuke had him by the shoulders and was shaking him. Kurama was carefully pulling the shards from his hand, scolding him gently for breaking his mirror with his bare fist. Strange…he didn't remember ever looking into it…

"What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"…What?"

"You spazzed out in here like a maniac! You punched your mirror into pieces and clawed at the walls until Hiei stopped you!"

Kuwabara blinked once, and then looked around. Hiei had apparently left. He turned his attention to the wall. There were deep claw marks embedded in the wood. His eyes widened, and he immediately snatched away from Yuusuke, ignoring the shock on his face and the gasp of Kurama, whom he'd accidentally scratched when pulling away.

His head hurt…he was feeling dizzy.

"_**Kazuma**_."

"No…"

"_**Kazuma**_…"

"NO!!! NOT NOW!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!"

"_**Kazuma**_…"

"Dude…calm down. What's going on…?"

"I have to get out of here…I have to leave!"

Before the plant that Kurama had grown to secure him could strike, Kuwabara jumped at the closed window, barreling through it with a force the other two boys did not know he had. He landed in a crouch on the sidewalk, throwing himself into a frenzied run, an onyx locket clutched in his fist.

He had to get away…before the black-eyed man came…

######

"Oh no. It's started, hasn't it…?

The two stunned demons in their human friend's room turned to Shizuru just in time to see her collapse. Kurama caught her before she hit the floor, clutching her tightly as she struggled to breathe.

"Shizuru…you have to tell us now. What is happening to Kuwabara?"

She bit her lip to muffle the sobs she knew were coming. "My brother…my baby brother…"

"Please, Shizuru."

She looked up at him, meeting his eyes as slowly as she could. "I…I have been sworn to secrecy. But I can tell you this. There is a man with black eyes…a soulless creature of '_God_.' Don't let him near Kazuma. You have to protect him; I can't anymore. The demons he is facing now are of the mind. Promise me you will do it. Both of you."

"There's no question. We look out for one another, and we won't let Kuwabara be in danger, whether from this guy or himself."

"I too swear this. We will protect him."

Shizuru sighed and rested against him. "Good. Now go find him."

Kurama nodded and placed her on the bed, praying that some semblance of accord and sanity would return to the Kuwabara family.

"We need help in this. I just tried to catch him…and he bit me."

Kurama turned to check the wounds of the newest arrival to the room, and was taken aback by what he saw. "Hiei…those bite wounds look..."

"Animalistic. I know."

Yuusuke stood up, searching around the room for that stupid pager. "We need to talk to Koenma."

#####

"So, you understand, then?"

"But father—"

"You will not disobey me this time, boy! Those…_beings_ are an abomination before God and man. They break every rule of nature to gain power in their selfishness!"

"That's not true and you know it! Only malicious—"

"_**Silence**_! You will give the order; this is for the good of all mankind."

"For the good of mankind…you never cared for the well-being of mortals."

"You're blessed by the Devil's Luck that I sired you, or you would be beheaded for such an insult."

"I will not give the order. He has been through enough."

"We are all victims of circumstance; I will not allow a simple sob story to blind you to the threat this creature has become."

"Father no…"

"Now, soldiers! The last of these—parasites—shall be washed away from the face of the worlds! Today, I decree, Kazuma Kuwabara shall die!"

The helpless screaming of the Rekai prince was drowned out by the deafening chorus of cries filled with bloodlust and warmongery.

#######

"_**Kazuma**_…_**can**_…_**you**_…_**hear**_…_**me**_…?"

Deep within a sheltered wood, Kuwabara hung his head low, panting with exhaustion.

"…Yes."

A deranged smile blossomed across his face and an otherworldly glow lit up his eyes.

"_**Soon.**_ _**Very**_…_**very**_…_**sooooooonnn**_…"

#######

Author's Note. The plot thickens. Did that satisfy you a little, buddy? :P

Next chapter coming soon (if I get another day off, that is.) It'll rock your socks! ;)

C&C are always welcome!

Lovesallmyreaders,

Angelus1889


	3. Chapter 3

Something Wicked This Way Comes

By: Angelus1889

Warning(s): OOC

Graphic violence

Lemon-Yaoi

Rating: Mature

####

**Author's Note**: Finally I kept my promise lol. Working on buying those expensive, _SEVERAL-THOUSAND- DOLLAR-plane-tickets-ahem_ has not been easy. I think I MAY have forgotten to tell you guys: I will be studying abroad in Europe for a full 15-week semester starting on August 28 when I fly out of DC to Rome. After five weeks, I will be staying in Paris for another five, and finishing up the last five of the semester in Spain. And I pretty much went to work straight out of school, so I had NO write break. Sorry my lovelies! 

I am officially dedicating this story to my most supportive fans, as well as the rest of our little HieiBara group: **Nurdgurl714**, **Time On My Hands**, and last (but DEFINITELY not least) **Twistedmind29**!

Now after like a year and a half lol; on with the story!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own YYH, neither does my pet turtle Kenji, and I doubt you do either.

III

"What do you mean you can't **find **him!" Enma roared.

"I apologize on behalf of my squad, your Majesty." The SDF commissioner replied. "He seems to have vanished from the realm entirely. Not a blip of his aura can be picked up on by our greatest trackers."

"I am disappointed; very disappointed. Do you want to make me look like a fool?"

The commissioner bowed his head. "It never crossed my mind, sire."

Enma turned to look out the window. "You do realize what he will turn into, and what will happen to us, if he succeeds?"

The commissioner's eyes bugged out, and a bead of sweat rolled down his brow. "O-of co-course I do sire! None of us want that horrid fate to occur! We simply need more time-"

"**WE DON'T HAVE ANYMORE TIME**!" Emna thundered. The SDF officers shuddered. This upset, Enma as he was, made an intimidating sight; his skin flushed red in anger and his eyes glowing gold. Smoke curled and twisted around his body as he reverted to his true, massive Kami form.

"_**I WANT KAZUMA KUWABARA DEAD, HIS HEAD MOUNTED ON A PIKE IN THE CENTER OF MY OFFICE IN 72 HOURS! IS THAT CLEAR**_!" he bellowed.

The small squad hastened to make themselves scarce before their king decided that some form of blood punishment was necessary to further enforce his point. Soon after the doors to his chamber closed, he changed back to his true form, sighing as he did so. A sudden and sharp pain struck him to his core, and he dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. Sputtering, he crawled back to his throne and heaved himself up upon it before the pain in his chest lessened. '_So_…_this is it_.' The god thought to himself.

He was dying.

Enma was not surprised. It was time. He knew of this, and an oracle confirmed it for him. His heart stirred as he recalled that woman. After that night, he never saw her again. 'I _should have made her my wife_.'

On the rare occasions that it rained in the Reikai, Mother Nature seemed to be making up for lost time. The storm was ferocious and powerful…yet also somehow mesmerizing. Cliché though it may be, the kami always thought of a thunderstorm as a kind of a self-confrontation that nature initiates in and of itself. After the long tension and buildup of heat and pressure in the atmosphere, it finally erupts into a deluge powerful enough to cleanse the conflagration away. A very philosophical outlook on a normal natural process, yes; but Enma was in that sort of mood…after dealing with _them_.

"You. There is an end in your existence that you are most anxious to avoid."

Enma started at the oracle that seemed to have…materialized in his chambers. He spun around quickly. "Who are you-"

He was stunned by her rare beauty. Her skin was the color of milk chocolate, her raven dreadlocks long and flowing. She was an average sized woman with ample curves that were clung to only by a flowing white silk dress with a deep V that revealed more bust than some consider socially acceptable. She had a well-proportioned face: high cheekbones, a Nubian nose and full, supple lips. But it was her eyes that captivated him. The color of swirling mercury cradled in long, curved eyelashes, it marked her as a powerful spirit with the ability to see into the future. Her lilting Jamaican accent snapped him out of his ogling.

"My name is of no importance, your Majesty."

"What do you know of my destiny?"

"What do _you_ know of it?"

Enma dropped his eyes from her face. "Enough to know that it's not the future I want."

"Why do you fear the future so?"

"Because I make my own choices. Why should this be decided for me?"

"Ask the Gods of Fate. That is not my jurisdiction. I am but a messenger."

"But you're more than that. You are also a Loa, correct?"

The oracle's jaw set firmly. "You cannot tamper with fate. Let those humans be. Their sacrifice is noble."

"You didn't answer my question, Loa."

"I will answer your question when you ask one worth responding to."

He glared at her. "I am a god. I may do whatever I please."

The oracle raised her chin and narrowed her eyes. "Even gods are not omnipotent."

"Are you undermining my authority!"

"I am repudiating your overzealous pride and incompetence."

Enma clenched his teeth, and his eyes flashed gold. "I should kill you for that."

A corner of the oracle's mouth lifted, and she fluttered her eyelashes, stepping closer to the god. "I'd like to see you try."

Enma growled. He wouldn't be undermined by this woman anymore. "Strip, oracle, and present yourself for your king."

Her eyes reflected the disdain in her soul, but she complied nonetheless. Enma preened with pleasure; she was even more of a vision nude. Her dark caramel nipples were taught, her firm bottom round and perfect, and her hairless womanhood damp with passion. With a lick of his lips, he reached for her. She went limp in his arms and awaited the end.

######

Enma rolled over in his bed, fatigued and sated from the night before. It had been a while since he'd had sex, but he had made sure that his performance for her was…more than satisfactory. He smirked. He'd received no complaints.

He glanced down at the beauty sleeping peacefully in his bed with her back to him. His eyes lingered on a tattoo at the small of her back. It was an intricate heart with patters of gothic crosses and stars on the inside, embellished with ribbons that curled at the ends. His brow wrinkled. '_I've seen this symbol somewhere before_.' After a while of thinking on it, only to be rewarded with a mild headache, he gave up dwelling on it.

'_No matter_.' He smirked. '_That will teach her to respect a man_.' He thought. But he also knew that she was a fiery shrew. While passionate, she had no intention of submitting in any fashion to any man that attempted to subdue her. She was wild and free, untamable and quick-witted. He trailed a finger down her face.

"Don't touch me."

"You seemed to rather enjoy me touching you last night."

The oracle opened her rather alert eyes quickly. She was awake and had been for a while. "I've had better."

"So you say."

She rolled out of bed and grasped her dress that lay forgotten on the hard marble floors. "You are quite prideful, kami. It will be your downfall."

His smirk fell. "Is that what you saw?"

Now fully dressed, she turned to regard him a final time. "That was merely a fragment of the destiny that awaits you." She began to head towards the doors.

"Do you feel sympathy for me?"

This question caused her to stop mid-stride. "…In a manner of speaking. Remember these words, Kami Enma. There is an equal cost that must be paid for power that was taken by blood."

His face reddened. "Get out, woman."

She chucked. "We will see each other again before the end."

'_I've waited so long…to see her again. I don't even know her name_…'

The rapidly approaching sound of feet was the only warning the king had before the commissioner burst into his chamber.

"Knock next time, peon."

"I apologize, King Enma. But there is a matter of grave importance."

Enma leaned forward a little in his throne. "Have you found that beast?"

"…No. But the Archduke has arrived."

A satisfied smile crept onto the Kami's face. "Send him in.

"Also…Lord Koenma has still not yet spoken. He refuses food and water and simply stares out at nothing in his cell."

Enma dismissed the information with a wave of his hand. "I care not. If he will not fight, then he will die as well."

The commissioner swallowed. He wondered if his lord knew how…malicious he sounded as he said that. He shook his head firmly. It didn't matter. His lord's will was firm and absolute. He went to summon the Archduke to Enma's chambers.

######

"How the hell is Koenma missing! How do you lose track of your own personal Jesus!" Yuusuke roared. The remaining members of the Reikai Tentai had made their way to the Reikai, all the while worried for Kuwabara only to arrive and be told that the prince in question was MIA.

Jorge trembled under the raw power of the Mosaku. "I don't know, Yuusuke, he went to see his father about something and then there was some big declaration for a fugitive and then when he came back he was all upset-"

"Say that again, Jorge. Slower." Kurama said.

Warily stepping around Yuusuke, Jorge turned to address the youko. "The last time I saw Lord Koenma, which was about three days ago, he was on his way to go speak to King Enma about ordering a manhunt for somebody, but he didn't say who. When he came back, he looked pale-faced and haggard. I offered him his favorite tea but-"

"Get to the point, dammit!"

Kurama looked over to Yuusuke. "Calm down and let him finish." He turned back to the ogre. "Continue please, Jorge."

He nodded. "After I'd managed to calm Lord Koenma down somewhat, all he said was, 'I've got to warn them.' And then he left the office. I haven't seen him since."

Hiei felt a lump of dread settling in his stomach. "Did you overhear the name of the person that they plan to assassinate?"

Yuusuke looked over to the fire demon, his eyes clouded in worry for his best friend. "Hiei…you don't think that…"

"It can't be a coincidence, detective."

"Make way for Archduke Gabriele!"

Four sets of eyes snapped to the door that two ogres opened to admit a tall, pale man in a billowing black robe that had a gothic cross emblazoned on it. The man also had a brimmed top-hat on that depicted the image of an embellished heart with a silver sword through it. The hat enshrouded most of his face in shadow, but he lifted his face to greet the boys as he passed them.

"Pardon me, gentlemen. Have a blessed afterlife."

Hiei snorted. He was always annoyed by the religious types. But a look to the face of this man wrung a gasp from his throat which instantly turned into a snarl.

This was the man with black eyes.

######

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the super long wait. I hope my goddesses still love me. *kitty eyes* I haven't been stalling because of writer's block though; I have big plans for this story. I just haven't had time to write. And every time I DID, something happened to my freaking computer. My life has been uber busy these past several months. I have a schedule worked out for this story though. The next chapter will be posted tomorrow, and then the fifth on Monday. Following this update, I'll be posting one chapter every weekend until the story is done.

I introduced some OC key players in this chapter and confused you even more. How's that for a comeback lol? XD

No Kazu in this chapter; sorry guys. But I promise that he'll be making several appearances in the next chapter, so watch out. Things are gonna get rocky from here on out in SWTWC. ;)

C&C are always welcome!

Lovesallmyreaders,

Angelus1889


	4. Chapter 4

Something Wicked This Way Comes

By: Angelus1889

Warning(s): OOC

Graphic violence

Lemon-Yaoi

Rating: Mature

####

**Author's Note**: DDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! You guys thought I'd forgotten about you, huh? Just been so busy with work, school, and social life that I haven't had time to write…in some months…again. Whoops; lol. Good news though: I'll be a senior in college next semester, and I'm damn near finished with my classes for my major already (Environmental Engineering). This chapter will mainly be exposition to fill in some gaps now that I've figured out how all the lore fits together in my head.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own YYH, neither do my guinea pigs Snowball and Velentino, and I doubt you do either.

So yeah…story update; GO!

IV

_In the olden times; long before man, demon, or what we call 'gods' roamed the realms, there were two beings in a constant war; the Holy Dragons and the Nameless. The Nameless—though cunning and powerful—were no match for the might of the Holy Dragons. For many eons, the Nameless were treated as servants and subjects by the Holy Dragons; nothing more than a passing amusement to break the monotony of their rule of the heavens. _

_But the Nameless had an advantage: they were not a prideful race as the Holy Dragons were. Pride leads to arrogance. And arrogance to vulnerability._

The Nameless had a plan. They bided their time and waited. Once the attentions of the Holy Dragons were diverted away from the leader of the Nameless by the Γιορτή της Θεότητας (1), the being was able to steal the source of the Holy Dragons' power from the queen of the Holy Dragons herself: their Heart of Hearts.

In a being such as a dragon, there was of course a physical heart, protected by scales and claws and teeth and fire. But deep within the depths of the soul of their queen laid the Heart of Hearts; a swirling vortex of miasma so potent that to even look at it would kill most modern beings. But the Nameless could reach it while the queen slept off the exhaustion from the festivities. Without the Heart of Hearts, the Holy Dragons could not stop the Nameless from taking what WOULD give them equal power: a name. 

_With the Heart of Hearts In their possession, the Nameless became the Titans; enormous beings that gained the power to seal away the Holy Dragons as revenge for their "mistreatment."_

Before she could be sealed away, however, the Queen of the Holy Dragons cast one of the black scales from her maw into the temple and laid a curse upon the Titans.

_**By my tooth and claw; by my wings and flame**_

_**Thou rule of our land shall end in shame.**_

_**The Heart of Hearts shall shatter and spread wide**_

_**In each piece, a soul of my bothers lie inside.**_

_**Into sky; into mountain; into fauna; into sea.**_

_**We shall live on, though in jeopardy.**_

_**Thou powers shall fade; thou bodies shall rot**_

_**Thou must divine thine souls to wither away not.**_

_**For the more thou divide, more beings shall arise**_

_**Some bearing my power and living under dark skies.**_

_**Others bearing no power and living small and meek**_

_**Thou burden it shall be to attend to those weak.**_

_**By my tooth and claw; by my wings and flame**_

_**Thou rule of our land shall end in shame!**_

_**In your last hours a being shall appear**_

_**Bearing my Mark; thou demise he holds dear.**_

_**Struggle as thou might; we shall not be held back**_

_**He shall break us free and thus we shall attack!**_

_**Fear of my curse; now begun**_

_**Let it break you one by one!**_

By my tooth and claw; by my wings and flame

_**Thou rule of our land shall end in shame!**_

_With that, the seals of the Titans were broken, and the souls of the Holy Dragons in droves flew to merge with the Heart of Hearts. Each one promising redemption. Each one assuring them that they would take back what was theirs. _

_As the soul of the queen herself entered, she smiled knowingly. The inward reflection of her grinning maw was the last of the Heart the Titans saw before a bright light from deep within caused it to explode; the pieces flying off to the ends of the earth._

# # # # # #  
_  
The Titans knew that the queen's curse would still take effect, even with her body sealed and spirited far away. With fear in their hearts, throughout the millennia they tried many differing ways to change their fate. All efforts were to no avail. _

_As the time passed, their bodies grew frail and weak, and they were forced to divide their souls to make more of themselves—as the queen uttered—in order to avoid mortality._

In the end, the Titans reverted to what we call 'gods;' to us, supreme beings that hold more power than any demonic creature. But to the once fleetingly powerful Titans, this fate was wholesomely unacceptable. In their desperation, they created sub-groups and pantheons in order to spread their search for an end to the curse as wide as possible. 

_With the appearance of the descendants of the Holy Dragon queen; demons, and the pathetically weak result of their many soul divisions; humans, they knew that the next section of the curse was coming to pass. The instinctive dislike the two races had for one another was amusing to the gods, as they knew that it was a direct result of their distinctive origins. Even so, it was a sign that their time was running short._

_However, the King of the Titans-turned-Gods, Enma, despite his overwhelming anger and fear, was still cunning and formed the beginning vestiges of a plan: to use humans to find the shards of the Heart of Hearts. Humans were weak—although the odd one here and there was born with small tendrils of power from their diluted blood—but they could also prove to be of some use. They also were very, very gullible._

In a systematic act of indoctrination, the gods reveled themselves to the primitive beings; some as angry war gods that demanded sacrifice under threat of destruction, and others as benevolent gods that only wanted the willing affection and servitude of their subjects. 

_Either way, it was all a part of Enma's plan. The Gods spread rumors about the Holy Dragons to the humans; describing them as illicit, evil beings that sought only destruction and death. They also spread rumors of a way to defeat them; to find shards of a deep, iridescent red hidden in the most unreachable of places along the globe. For a human to find and offer a shard to a god rewarded them with that god's favor. With his plan in full motion, Emna waited._

As a direct descendent of the leader of the Nameless, he was rather skilled at that particular quality.

Eventually, their efforts bore fruit. One shard, and then another, and then more were offered. With them, the gods could enter the final stage of the plan. While a mere shard of the Heart of Hearts was a wisp of a candle to a raging fire when compared to the Heart in its entirety, it would still allow the god in question to perform the same sealing ritual they used with the whole Heart of Hearts to tie the souls of the still-powerful Holy Dragons to these weak and stupid creatures. For every shard that they sealed inside the heart of a human, another Holy Dragon could be bound to their will.

For once the ritual was done, the lives of the human and Holy Dragon were irrevocably tied. If one died, so would the other. Cruel; but convenient. The problem arose, however, when the shard of the queen herself was found.

Found by the patriarch of Emna's most loyal family; the Kuwabaras. 

_This shard was more deadly than the rest. While the other Holy Dragons lie dormant in their chrysalis prisons, the queen was awake and aware; and killed every human that a god tried to seal her in. _

_Luckily, the human man was far more stupidly loyal than Enma gave him credit for, and offered the one of his descendents as a host for the queen's shard. There was a reason the Kuwabaras were loyal: They to date had the most pure strain of diluted god blood in them, which caused everyone in the lineage to possess psychic powers. Ginzou Kuwabara knew from a vision that in 200 years, a male child in his bloodline would be born with an incredible gift: not only would he have the psychic powers typical of his family, but he would also be the wielder of the Jigen-To; an aura sword that would allow him to rend the fabric between worlds. That was a power that was lost even for most gods, so Enma agreed eagerly._

Enma kept the shard of the queen in his private chambers as the years counted down to the child's birth. Throughout the while, he would mock and jeer at her, claiming that her curse was too weak for his wit and that he had found a way to rend it void. But she never once answered, though he knew that she could hear. She—throughout it all—kept that damnable dragon pride and smugness that drove he and his kind nearly blind with rage.

But Enma had learned well from the mistakes of his enemies and the success of his predecessors. The two mostly ignored one another until the day when the child's birth was scheduled. Surely enough, the ripples of his future power were felt in both the Reikai and the Makai. The humans—though weak—inherited some of the cunning of their distant ancestors and used their wits to stay alive and advance their living technologies, becoming the apex predators of their realm. 

_The parents of the newly christened Kazuma Kuwabara took him deep into the forest after leaving the hospital with him, sat him in his bassinette in the clearing and took several steps back to wait for a god to show._

They were not expecting the King of the Gods—Enma himself—to appear before them. They dropped to their knees in haste.

"K-king Enma! We are honored that our son will be a martyr for you." The man said. 

_Enma reigned in his initial reaction to scoff at the human with a ponytail and sunglasses, and walked towards the child. He was a pale little sleeping ball of flesh with a mop of orange hair like his mother's. Even though now dormant until his body was strong enough to handle his powers, he could feel the pull of the Jigen-To from this child's soul._

"Your son will be powerful, and he is the only one that will be able to bend this wicked queen to his will. You have done a great service to the Reikai, and we thank you."

With a twirl of his finger, the little Kazuma was hoisted into the air, and the black shard was pressed to his chest. As it burned its way into his flesh, the baby stared to wail loudly, screaming himself hoarse at the pain. Kazuma's mother bit her lip as she fought every mother's instinct to snatch away and comfort her baby. She knew that this was for the greater good and that the pain would end soon.  


_Enma preened as the tail-end of the shard sunk into the child's heart, and a bright light emitted from the tiny body that signaled that the sealing ritual was at an end. _

'It is done. Finally; I have won!'_ He thought. _

_Extensively exhausted and sleeping peacefully, Kazuma was lowered back into the basket and his mother rushed to pick him up, stroking her thumb gently along his face._

"My beautiful son. He will be the greatest hero the world has never known."

_Enma turned his gaze to the couple and sow their fate. They were destined to die in a fiery car crash when Kazuma was a mere child of eight years. _

_He inwardly snorted. _'No matter; so long as the child lives.'

_Enma regarded the Kuwabara descendents once more with a nod and left them to return to his palace. He grinned widely, his quiet chuckle becoming a booming laugh as he processed the finality of the situation._

"I did it! I have finally beaten her! Our rule with NEVER end!"

_# # # # # # # # #_

_The queen smiled inside her self-induced void. It was time. The fool actually thought he had beaten her. Little did he know that she also had plans for this child. She could have easily chosen a host of her own descendants, but to use a plaything of the Nameless's descendants as a weapon to destroy __**them**__? The humiliation of the traitorous 'gods' was too much for her to resist. Reaching out with her mind, she spoke to the hatchling she was sealed into._

"_**You may think me evil, hatchling, but in time you will realize the folly of your ancestors and choose the right side. A war is coming, little one, and I intend to win it."**_

_Baby Kazuma, not understanding the soft, lilting voice speaking to him but recognizing it as something that would not harm him turned fitfully in his cradle. On his lower back, a tattoo of a black diamond surrounded by the thorns of a scaly dragon tail appeared. The shard in his heart glowed and the Mark resonated in response._

# # # # # #  
(1) : "Feast of Divinity"

**Author's Note**: There. Since I left you all confused, you now have all of the lore. Well…MOST of it. *winks*

So, what do you think is gonna happen next? The proverbial "single grain of rice to tip the scale" as it were, which side will Kuwabara choose?

Also don't worry if this was too OC back-story. All our favorite characters will be back in the next chapter. I have to get this plot nice and juicy first. Hope you enjoyed.

C&C are always welcome!

Lovesallmyreaders,

Angelus1889


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